What is Student Voice?

Students generally don't have much say in their education.

The content of education is powerfully defined by grade-level standards and enforced by standardized tests. The rules that govern the big decisions in schools and school systems can change… but they often change slowly as the outcome of processes that involve many voices. It can be difficult for shifting cohorts of students to have much say.

At its best, student voice connotes genuine student influence based on feedback intentionally sought, especially in matters of importance. With the world changing around them, what roles can students take in their education? How can students have an influence over what is expected of them, how their time is used, and who teaches them?

California seems to be driving new opportunities for student voices to be heard. In California, students can pre-register at age 16 to vote when they turn 18. Recognizing the importance of student leadership in civic life, the state has created the Seal of Civic Engagement, which students can earn for their diplomas.

Ed100 has taken a direct role in this trend by creating the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders, a program in early summer that helps student leaders become well-informed, connected, and effective. Students must apply for admission to the program, but it is free.

What is an ASB?

Student government is a classic "sandbox" for students to develop leadership skills and experience. Under California’s Education Code, student governments in public schools may raise money and, with oversight, decide how to spend it. These school-based student leadership groups are often called Associated Student Body organizations, or ASBs. Students involved in these organizations have opportunities to develop a variety of skills, including fundraising, planning, budgeting, and communication.

ASB funds are often used to provide equipment for activities and school-wide events (such as dances, rallies, or performances). Well-run ASBs prepare a budget detailing planned fundraisers, how much the fundraisers will cost to execute, and plans for what to do if there is either a surplus or shortfall. After the budget is approved by the students, an advisor, and the student council, the school district’s business office must also approve it.

Formally, there are two types of ASBs: unorganized and organized. In unorganized ASBs, students don’t formally govern, especially when it comes to matters of money. Students are usually involved in fundraising, but the school administration typically oversees funds.

In rare cases, some well-funded student councils take the step of becoming organized ASBs, which are non-profit entities independent from the school. Subject to their by-laws, the students directly make the decisions here, including planning, fundraising, and spending. Adult supervision is provided through school administration, club advisor(s), and someone designated as the ASB bookkeeper who assists and co-approves decisions.

How are students involved in PTAs and PTOs?

Parent organizations (PTAs, if affiliated with the state PTA, otherwise PTOs) are associated with schools, but they can establish relationships with ASBs or other student-organized entities. Some parent associations add a letter "S" to their name, designating themselves as PTSAs or PTSOs to reflect that their bylaws include some kind of formal leadership role for students in their work. The details can vary a lot. Students in PTA-affiliated organizations may hold any leadership office.

How are students involved in school site councils?

The easiest way for students to play an official role in the education system itself is to serve on the school site council, a committee of teachers, parents, students, and school staff that works with the school principal in support of the operation and improvement of the school. Elections for school site councils are typically held at the beginning or end of the school year, which creates challenges for orderly succession planning. Meetings, commonly held monthly, are announced 72 hours in advance and anyone can attend. In many high schools, the site council is the best-kept secret opportunity for 9th-graders to advance quickly to positions of responsibility.

How can students lead in school districts?

As explained in Ed100 Lesson 7.3, school districts hold a great deal of power in California's education system. Since 2018, California law (education code section 35012) has required school districts to include a student member on their board, if petitioned by a modest number of high school students. The bill that created this change passed into law with little opposition, but in many school districts, such a petition still has not been completed. (How many? No one knows!) You can learn more about the process on Ed100, including where to find sample wording for a petition to add a student representative.

Some students who serve on school boards in California are connected with one another through the California Student Board Members Association (CSBMA), a student-led organization that provides training and support. Student members of district school boards in California serve in an advisory capacity; they can influence board decisions and speak in meetings but cannot cast a binding vote. Some school districts record student preferential votes in their minutes. Others don’t even list their student members on their web page.

California school boards in districts with high school students are required to include a student member, but only if high school students petition for it.

How can students improve their own schools?

Students have a lot to say about their schools. Some schools and districts collect information about student perceptions and experiences related to school climate and many other aspects of their learning experiences using the California Healthy Kids Survey. The results can provide insights into how different groups of young people see their school experiences.

Confident teachers and school leaders take time to solicit open-ended feedback from students. Rare schools, with care and seriousness, involve students in work that they are uniquely qualified to do: evaluating teachers to help them improve. As Ed100 Lesson 3.9 explains, some states require student feedback as an element of teacher evaluations, but California is not among them.

How can students influence change in California's schools statewide?

California has several established mechanisms for students to be heard in state-level education policy settings. The California Association of Student Councils, a student-led youth leadership organization, organizes conferences and programs that prepare students to present proposals to lawmakers and to the State Board of Education. The most important are the SABE and SABLE conferences. The state's largest organization for student advocacy is GENup, which involves students through a network of local student-led chapters. ACLU of Southern California involves students through a selective program. All of these organizations have participated in the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders.

The California State Board of Education includes a voting student member appointed by the Governor.

At the state level, California incorporates student voice in a rare and authentic way: One seat on the State Board of Education is reserved for a student member. The student position was created in 1969 and in 1983 it became a full voting position, in every respect equal to the other members of the board. The only other states with voting student members on their state board of education are Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maryland. Eleven other state education boards list student advisors on their webpage.

How can students lead beyond the education system?

Technology has eliminated many barriers that used to keep students out of "grown up" meetings, which has made it possible for students to organize beyond their own school community and beyond education as an issue of concern. For example, youth leader Greta Thunberg has inspired students spanning the globe to find their voice in advocating for changes in climate policy.

Updated September 2018, May 2019, September 2019, April 2021, August 2021, July 2022.